


Not In Kansas Anymore

by Nukeli



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Dimension Travel, Good Steve and evil Steve facing off, Lots of fighting and running and confusion, Mirror Universe, Villain Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21988969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nukeli/pseuds/Nukeli
Summary: After the destruction of the reality stone, rifts in space and time start appearing all over the earth, and Dr. Strange is currently the only one who can close them.After an incident with a magic-nullifying monster, other Avengers take turns going with him to provide cover. Today Steve and Bucky escort Strange to Kansas, where the rift hasn't started leaking anything yet. Instead, it starts pulling things in like a black hole. Not even Bucky's metal arm can stop Steve from being pulled in just before it closes, and when Steve wakes up, everybody hates or fears him, and he doesn't understand why. Steve just assumes Red Skull did it, like the last time.[Not related to my earlier "Saints & Soldiers" series]
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

The police was trying it's best to keep the spectators away and their eyes and guns on the rift when Steve, Bucky, and Strange arrived. The scene was intact and nobody was hurt, which was a welcome change from most other scenes Strange had arrived onto on the course of the last week.

After the destruction of the reality stone, rifts in space and time had started appearing all over the earth, and Dr. Strange was currently the only one who could close them.

After an incident with a magic-nullifying monster, other Avengers had taken turns going with Strange to provide cover. Today Steve and Bucky had escorted him to Kansas, where the rift hadn't started leaking anything yet. Strange started casting a spell, when a rumble echoed within the rift. First thing people noticed was a breeze from behind them, which suddedly became a strong wind pulling rocks, dirt, and people's hats into the rift.

"Fall back!"

The police car started moving, and a tree branch broke from under some poor sap, and he was hanging on the tree's roots for his dear life, screaming for help, but no one dared to step in, which was propably a good thing. To leave it to professionals. Steve hand-signaled Bucky, who extended his metal arm to Steve. After getting a good grip, they start descending down the hill, Strange floating steadily in place despite the rapidly strenghtening pull. Steve reaches for the young man's wrist, but he's still too far away. Bucky can't come much more forwards or he'll lose his good grip.

"A few more inches, Buck!"

Steve can reach the civilian's fingers, but it still isn't enough. Steve starts approaching Bucky.

"Hey! Don't leave me!"

Steve isn't going to. He just needs a safer spot to readjust his grip with Bucky. He offers him his fingertips instead of his whole hand, in hopes that inch will be enough to reach the civilian. Bucky looks at him with uncertainty.

"This is a bad idea."

"Of course it is."

"Hang on tight, then."

Steve descends once more, and extends his free hand. He finally gets a grip on the guy's wrist, while the rift starts closing in the backround. The rubble and random shit flying through the air pound Steve's back and head, and a rock cuts the civilian's face open, but the grip stays steady.

"Okay, i got you. Pull, Bucky!"

They get the civilian up and he crawls away on his own, sinking his fingers in the grass every move, and somebody is waiting for him, hanging from another tree. Bucky's getting a better grip on Steve's arm, when the civilian they just saved screams. Bucky turns to see the police car flying through the air. Bucky falls flat and Steve tries to throw himself under the roots, but the car hits him with full force, and the momentum rips Bucky's arm off, all three flying towards the hole in space and time.

"Steve!!!"

"Buck!"

Steve and the arm fit through the rift, while the part of the car hitting the rift dissappears, leaving the rest of the vehicle flying past it in pieces. Then the rift snaps shut and everything in the pull rains down.

"Steve!!"


	2. Chapter 2

Steve woke up crushed under the remains of a police car and bleeding all over. He couldn't tell what was up and what was down, he had a horrible tinnitus, and he might also have thrown up several times.

Deducing from the fact that he almost choked on it, he'd say his face was up at the moment.

Steve managed to roll over. That bone in his thigh, Steve forgot what it's called, seemed broken. He managed to bench-press the wreckage off his chest, proving further that way was up. Steve crawled out from underneath it, causing it to fall on his already broken leg. He managed to supress the pained noises and release the limb. Rolling over, he turns. There wasn't anybody in there. Where were Strange and Bucky??

Steve reached for his phone, only to find it broken into small pieces. He flopped back down into a sitting position. He thought he's in Pelham Bay Park, while he didn't see a soul, he could hear cars and people not too far away. He retched again, but nothing more seemed to be coming out. At least that would propably mean he doesn't need to worry about throwing up on people. Withoutthinking anything really, he was too disoriented and concussioned to think, Steve started walking in a random direction. When he saw a fountain, he turned towards it. His leg gave up under him and he fell face-first into the water. When he pulled himself up with his hands, his hearing returned with a bang. There were people all around him, and their voices ranged from whispers to screams.

"It's Steve Rogers."

"It's _The Captain_!"

Steve turned his head in a random direction, and was face to face with a frightened young man.

"Oh my God! Don't kill me! I'll do _anything_!"

"Kill you?" Steve asked in a small voice. His brain was starting to return into order, but he still barely understood what was going on. Why would that guy think Steve wanted to kill him?! Why were people scared of him?? He retched again, into the fountain, and what came out was weird green slime.

" _Ew!_ "

"Somebody call the police!"

It was only a whisper, but Steve heard it. He would like to have somebody explain everything to him, but he somehow _knew_ he had to get away _right now_ , and the cops _could not_ catch up with him. Steve took off running and stumbled into the bushes. The first thing he did was to check that his face was still actually his face. He was pretty sure it was, and people had referred to him as Steve Rogers anyway. But why had they reacted like that? The last time something like that had happened was when Red Skull, dying for some reason Steve didn't remember, had used the cosmic cube to steal Steve's body and put Steve's mind in his body. Steve had just established that it hadn't happened again.

So, why were people afraid of Captain America?

Steve couldn't even clearly recall how had he gotten from Kansas to New York or where had Strange and Bucky vanished into. Why were they even in Kansas? In the first place? His brain was still all scrambled up. Somebody or something must've caused it.

Further into the park, steve found an old hobo with an empty bottle in his hand, out like a candle. Steve checked all the directions and took the man's coat and cap, to conceal his costume. He emptied the hobo's duffel bag and shoved his shield and helmet in there. He left money, of course, and ran for it. Once outside the park, he slowed down to not be suspicious. Then the realization crashed on him.

The rift.

 _It's complicated. The smallest choice any living thing makes, will branch history in two and creates another world_ , Strange's words echoed in Steve's head, _Most of them are so similiar one could spend a lifetime looking for any distinction. Others so different they defy all comprehension_.

Steve pulled the stolen hat over his face when he spotted a camera, but he had propably already been caught on tape somewhere. There were so many questions. Why did his counterpart have such a reputation? Were there other differences? Where was he going to go?

Of course, more problems manifested themselves.


End file.
